United boots passenger from First Class for wearing tracksuit

November 4, 4:46 PMAirline Industry ExaminerScott Laird

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A Best Buy Vice President has complained to United for being denied a mileage upgrade on a United flight from Washington Dulles to Connecticut. (AP Photo/George Nikitin)

A Best Buy vice president was denied a seat in the First Class cabin on a United flight from Washington Dulles to Connecticut after being told his attire was unsuitable. Armando Alvarez was booked in United Economy on the October 28 flight and used Mileage Plus mileage to upgrade to United First. Before the flight began boarding, Alvarez says he was called up to the gate podium by a United agent, who told him his attire as unsuitable, took his First Class boarding card, and reseated him in United Economy. Alvarez, who travels frequently between Dulles and Best Buy corporate headquarters in Connecticut, and normally checks his suits so they don't become wrinkled inflight, says he was embarassed and humiliated by the experience. Although Alvarez made attempts to contact United regarding the situation, he has not received a response, even though he has said he is not requesting compensation.

United has already suffered web infamy this year for the United Breaks Guitars video. In that case, United's internal policies were followed, although they were eventually found too inflexible to meet that customer's needs, so he posted a video that quickly went viral on YouTube, now with over 5 million hits at press time. In this case however, there is no written policy, either in United's Contract of Carriage, or their Customer Service Committment (which Alvarez mentions in an interview with a local news station) that prohibits revenue passengers from flying First Class on the basis of their attire. Most airlines require off-duty employees traveling for free to dress in business attire when traveling in First Class, but United and other airlines do not regulate attire for revenue passengers.

There is no word on whether Alvarez will continue to fly United, however they are the only carrier serving the nonstop Dulles to Hartford market. Other carriers fly from the DC area to Hartford, however those carriers may serve another airport, or may not offer First Class seating.